Make Your Mark · 9:48pm May 26th, 2022
G5 has finally started the next phase in its development, and now we are looking forward to a multipart series. So far, it's okay. I can't say it wowed me like MLP:ANG did, but it wasn't a bad episode. I do appreciate the fact that it continues the mane conflict of ponies learning to get along again. I like how we get a good look at how these characters act. The new voices are really growing on me. The art direction and animation don't look half bad. Believe me, I've seen all sorts of animation done on a TV show budget, and I can't think of any example that is perfect. For example, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2021) has plastic-like character designs and resorted to hand-drawn effects that stuck out, Beastars has character animation that looks stilted and slow like the characters are underwater, and Elena of Avalor has backgrounds that look empty and lifeless. That's not to say these shows aren't without their strengths, but they absolutely have their weaknesses. In the case of MLP:MYM, it does have some fairly detailed character designs and backgrounds with a fair amount of background characters to keep Maretime Bay from looking too empty. The characters don't look plastic-like, and the character designs live up to the look of MLP:ANG. However, the animation isn't as expressive or as lively as it could have been and the details still look a tad dull. Still, I can't deny the fact that the crew did all they could to make the animation look as good as it does, and I do commend it for that.
The show ends on an interesting note. Not only do we see earth ponies with their own magic, Hitch getting a dragon companion, and a reveal of an upcoming villain. What I find interesting is that the world itself seems much more insular. While the first season of MLP:FiM showed the characters encountering griffons, zebra, buffalo, and dragons, apparently ponies of G5 have never seen a dragon, and presumably never saw any other creatures. This fits in with a head canon idea of mine. I believe the reason why the ponies are so insular is because they are the descendants of colonists. Perhaps this is a world far away from the Equestria we know, and instead takes place in a new Equestria established in a faraway land, another planet, or another dimension. The fact that the glitching magic caused the environment itself to break down even opens up the possibility that the world is actually a magically generated construct. THE PONIES ARE LIVING IN THE MATRIX. LOL!
So, that's my impressions of MLP:MYM, and I look forward to seeing where this goes.
For what it's worth, this wasn't an episode - this was a one-time special. Fall is set to have the actual series air, but... It's also apparently named Make Your Mark, which is a bit redundant?
I agree that it didn't hit as hard as ANG, which was perhaps a bit disappointing, but it does have some interesting implications for the future.